The presidential election is four weeks away, and for the first time in known history a new segment of Cleveland County voters will be filling out ballots Nov. 6.

Willie McIntosh, president of the local branch of the NAACP, said 75 inmates being held in the Cleveland County Detention Center were registered to vote Wednesday night, and all 75 requested absentee ballots from the Cleveland County Board of Elections.

McIntosh said he is not aware of any other counties in North Carolina who have registered inmates to vote.

Detention Center Capt. Durwin Briscoe said, after he was approached by McIntosh about the idea, he checked with the county attorney and Cleveland County Board of Elections Director Debra Blanton to ensure it was legal.

Briscoe said he was told nothing can legally prevent inmates from being registered voters so long as they are not convicted felons serving a sentence.

"The majority here are pre-trial detainees," he said. "Based on that, legally they still have the right."

Briscoe said as of Thursday, there were 258 inmates in the detention center.

He said all of the inmates registered Wednesday were pre-trial.

"We at the Detention Center and the sheriff's office are open to any suggestion or program that can help and benefit the inmates and in the long run make them productive citizens in society," he said. "That's what we're trying to do."

'They had never thought about voting'

McIntosh said after reviewing laws and clearing it with the sheriff, a group of NAACP members went to the jail and helped with the registration.

"We asked if anybody had not registered and we would assist in registering," McIntosh said. "We never tell anybody what party to register for."

He said, when requested, inmates were given help with the forms and McIntosh will turn them in to the board of elections.

"They were glad to do it," McIntosh said. "The majority of them said they had never thought about voting."

Incarcerated citizens are eligible

McIntosh said he hopes it will be a starting point for not only Cleveland County but the state.

"People getting involved in the voting process will hopefully look at life a new way and say I'm going to get on the right track," he said.

According to the Cleveland County Board of Elections, if convicted of a felony, registration is rescinded and citizenship rights have to be restored before someone can register to vote.

Blanton said once time has been served for the felony charge and that person is off probation, citizenship rights are automatically restored.

For inmates held in the jail pre-trial, citizenship rights are still intact.

"Incarcerated citizens are certainly eligible to vote," Blanton said.

She said on the registration form it states that if you sign the form despite being on probation or parole for a felony, that person can be convicted of a class I felony.

Blanton said a voter registration drive in jail has never happened in her 25-year tenure as elections director.

Early voting draws premature crowd

Not only are inmates voting, but Blanton said she is seeing other people come to register who never have in the past.

Blanton said an elderly couple, in their 80s, came to the board of elections office and said it was their first time registering to vote.

"They took the forms home to have their daughter help fill them out," she said.

Early voting is also drawing a crowd -- and it hasn't even started yet.

"We turned 100 people away who wanted to vote," Blanton said. "We don't start early voting until next Thursday."

Are you registered?

*Today at 5 p.m. is the voter registration deadline for the Nov. 6 general election.

*Early voting begins Thursday, Oct. 18

*Call the Cleveland County Board of Elections at 704-484-4858 or visit the board's website for more details.